Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Earth Day - What is it?

Earth Day - What is it?

We all know 5th June is celebrated as World Environment Day,
but what is Earth Day all about?

How
did Earth Day evolve?

In 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets to spread
the message of environmental awareness, and in the process created the first
ever Earth Day. The campaign led to remarkable change — generating
momentum for the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the
passing of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species
Act. The brainchild of the late Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson, Earth
Day 1970 garnered bipartisan support and is widely considered to be the
beginning of the environmental movement. Earth Day 2015 includes a cleanup
Great Wall of China beach litter removal. and an attempt to protect 25,000
acres of rain forest in Indonesia.

The
motto of Earth Day is "100% Renewable" — What does it mean?

Earth Day Network is calling on cities
to go 100% renewable by 2050. We want all of our consumed energy to be created
by renewable energy sources– sun, wind and water!

Why do we need 100%
renewable?

1 billion people still live on less than
$1.25 per day and those most affected by climate change are low-income or
marginalized populations. These trends will only get worse if we don’t stop
misusing the planet. Moving towards a 100% renewable world is possible, but
only in a world where all countries commit to a low carbon future. We have the
technology. Now we need the political will to begin this change.

Over the past 20 years, there have been
a series of failed attempts to create an effective international treaty to
mitigate climate change. In 1997, the UN passed the Kyoto Protocol, the first
major international agreement. Unfortunately, the US—one of the world’s top
polluters—failed to ratify the treaty. Since then, the countless efforts to
come to an agreement—Rio, Copenhagen— have all ended in failure.

The next summit – COP21- in
Paris- is scheduled later this year; and this time we cannot fail. We need
a universal climate agreement that limits global warming to 2°C. We must
come together to demand climate action from our leaders!

Why 2°C? There is consensus within the
scientific community that greenhouse gases emissions that increase global
temperatures beyond 2°C will irreversibly alter climatic regions all over the
world, making fierce natural weather phenomena a daily occurrence. Let’s make
2015 the year we reverse this trend, and call on civic leaders to commit to
powering our cities with 100% renewable technology.

Moving to renewable energy has the
potential to be cost-effective and transform the way we interact with our
environment. Divestment from fossil fuels, green buildings, and sustainable
cities must drive this change.

We have to start from the bottom up–
show our representatives that we will lead where they cannot. This starts in
your city.

2015 – Earth Day’s
45th anniversary – could be the most important year in environmental history.
It’s Our Turn to Lead. Get the conversation started on making your city 100%
renewable and be part of the movement on April 22, Earth Day.